Health Care

[peilynne]

Please keep an open mind and don't get pis#@!ed off at me for what I'm about to say. I watched the Presidential debate last night and was surprised by a comment John McCain made regarding health care and do you want a system like Canada and England? As a proud Canadian I can tell you that we hold our health care system in high regard. In Canada, everyone has health care and access to the best medical care they require. We fight hard to keep our health care and we would never allow our government to change it. Yes, we pay high taxes but we have piece of mind. Our health benefits are not taxable, something John McCain proposes to do. My family benefits cost us $1600.00 a year for family coverage and it is excellent coverage. I'm just wondering what types of support are available to sci survivors in the US? Both of my surgeries were covered through our national medicare system, as well as 8 months of hospital stays. My private insurance Blue Cross covered 100 per cent of my electric chair, 10500, as well as 100 % of my hospital bed and mattress. We have a provincial program that is also funding my manual wheelchair and commode 100%. My insurance covers my meds, I pay 5.00 a prescription. I also receive home care, a nurse, three times a week to help with my showers and dressing, and this is a free provincial service. I'm covered under my private insurance for weekends home care as well as foot care. My mri's/ doc appts, surgeries/eight months of hospital stays all are covered. My stay at a Spinal Cord Rehab out of province, for three months cost 75,000 alone. All my ongoing therapy is covered as well as botox treatments, very expensive and a foot brace, anything I need is there.
I've been following your election very closely, and it would seem to me that the direction Barack Obama wants to take health care is good. I know it is none of my business but I did want to correct John McCain as he seemed to imply that our system is not desirable. It is, we pay for it through taxes, we cherish it, and we know every day how lucky we are to have it. If we get sick, which I did, we don't pile up huge medical bills. We get better and we go on with our lives. I watched all three debates, I know the platforms for each side and Barack would be my man. This is only an opinion, please don't yell at me.

[Joel]

This is such an interesting topic. My take on McCain's position is that he doesn't want people to pay higher taxes for better medical care; or for anything, for that matter. Heck, for both candidates, higher taxes is like an unmentionable phrase. But, moreso for McCain.

Here, if you have money, you can get the best mdical care in the world. If you don't have money, you can essentially get only the most basic of care, and we've had people on this site complaining that they couldn't get the care they needed. I think eventually the US is going to go more towards the Canadian system--sooner, if a democrat wins the election. I for one, would gladly pay higher taxes for this, even though I'm one of those that can afford the best care there is.

In Finland, they have a terrific healthcare system. Taxes range from maybe 35-55% but ALL medical care, anywhere in the country, is totally free for citizens. And the level of care there is very good. I've experienced it first hand. There, it's sort of like everyone is in the middle class, with a few rich people, and a few beggars who just don't want help. I think it's great. If McCain gets in, maybe I'll move there!

Joel

[rugger8]

Lynn I totally agree with you on this one!!! We could fill many pages with this topic for sure!!! Especially since we're all pros when it comes to dealing with the health care system!
$1600 a year for family health coverage is nothing! My husband has great health benefits but we still pay around $280 a month not including all the deductibles and co-pays and maximum out of pockets..... the list goes on. On top of all that my annual MRIs cost us about $1200 out of pocket.
Like Joel said, if you've got money and good insurance you can get the best care here in the USA. But god forbid if you're one of the unlucky without insurance.
There is something terribly wrong with a 'for profit' health care system!!! Sign me up for National Health care!!!!

Kristi

[cindylee]

Boy, this is a great topic. And no, I would never take offense at anyone Canadian. I think they have a great health care system. In fact, I wish we had one similar to it here. I am a big supporter of national health care and I am not ashamed who knows it. Yes I do appreciate the insurance I have. But I still have co-pays, deductibles, and I will soon not have any insurance due to becoming unemployed. I have over $4,000 in bills alone right now even with insurance and there are more to come. Today I received a bill for the CA-125 test , it's a cancer marker, and it cost $149. My insurance refuses to pay this. Because they think it is not necessary. So here I go fighting again. I actually paid to have disability insurance, but it took 5 1/2 weeks to get a check. In the meantime, I lost a bank account, incurring fee expenses along with it that I have yet to pay. But I agree with Joel, if you have money, you can get all that you need with a little worry. I have navigated the system for almost 4 years. The last 2 1/2 being a real eye opener. Somewhere on here are posts that related to my Mom and how I was caring for her while I had my spinal cord tumor. I came home from my surgery to take care of her with no help whatsoever until almost a year had gone by. We were both on walkers in a two story house,,the bathroom was upstairs. I could get help from no one because someone had miscalculated our income. It took me almost a year to fight and get things straightened out. And even then we were 32 dollars over the amount for a lot of services. I can remember the doctor writing an order for a shower chair that cost 99 dollars. Did we get it? Nope, insurance turned it down. I cried for days after that as it was for my Mom. At the end of her life all she wanted was to take a shower and I had no way to do this for her. I think it is a miracle I am still here today. The expenses and the worries led me to claim bankruptcy and turned my hair a much lighter color. The emotional impact of all of it is something I will probably never get over. It will take me years now to financially become stable.I have said this many times, I would never want anyone to have to go through what I have. And I will do anything I can if I can spread the word or help someone else by what I have learned. We are the richest country in the world, yet we let so many of our people suffer needlessly while we take care of the world. It's time we helped each other first and then went out into the rest of the world. Everyone needs to pay attention to what the candidates are saying and vote according to their conscience. And if you don't vote then you have no cause to complain . I understand that there are so many who have just given up in our country and no longer vote, Just that one vote can make all the difference. So there, I have said just about all I can. Sorry if this is offensive to anyone. But I think all of us have struggled not only with just the medical bills, but with all the other things..like trying to keep our homes and cars. Everything suffers when you are having to worry how to pay for things that you really need and other people are making you feel as if they are luxuries. Everyone should have the care they need unless they choose otherwise. And that's my two cents worth. Cindy

[mak164]

I don't know how people in the US cope with healthcare bills. In the UK healthcare is largely free. Employees pay a basic National Insurance fee of 11% of their income and employers contribute to this. This covers sickness benefit, retirement pension and industrial injuries. In addition we pay for prescriptions for medicine (unless we are retired or on low income) and a small contribution towards dental treatment and ophthalmic prescriptions. Consultations with our doctor (general practitioner) are free, and increasingly there is a programme of preventive health where we are checked for high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, bowel cancer, etc.

I think that the stress of coping with SCT or other major illness is sufficient without having to worry about the financial aspects of receiving care and treatment. I haven't experienced the US system, but from what people describe it seems pretty horrific.

[paul55]

As Joel mentioned this is interesting. I think that no matter where you go in the world, there are horror stories with any medical care that any country provides. The problen is you don't get to hear both sides all the time. All I ever heard about the Canadian health care system is it takes too long to get MRI's and simple tests done and life saving operations, up to two years wait. This is what we watch on TV and in the news. I know there are documented cases because I've listened to other Canadians complain about it on other forums. They end up coming to this country to get relief. So I think that all systems have their faults. The US has a long way to go, but I also think we have THE best facilities and care in the world. It seems there are many people beating on the door of Dr. Jallo, that's a pretty good indicator to me of the expertise in this country and the timely manner in which it is given.

Just a little bit of political thought here. If you were lucky enough to be well off and make more than $250,000.00 a year, do you really think it is fair for Mr. Obama to tax you at a higher rate and redistribute your tax dolars to others? C'mon, spread the wealth? Give me a break! I'm really not in favor of a modern day Robin Hood!

[peilynne]

Hi, I can only speak for myself, but I saw a neurologist on
May 11/07 and had an mri 4 days later, five weeks later I had my surgery. I have not experienced any waits, for mri's, i've had four since. We also do not pay deductibles, only co pays on prescriptions, of which mine is only five dollars. There are wait times for some things, like knee or hip surgeries, but if it is urgent, you don't wait.

[billanschell]

Paul, with all due respect, there has never been a time in my memory where the wealthy didn't pay a higher rate on their taxes. Although Obama spoke clumsily when he talked about "spreading the wealth," and is now paying the price by being called a Socialist by his opponent, my understanding is that he just wants to repeal President Bush's tax cuts and bring the taxes on the wealthy back to their pre-cut levels. Our government was far from Socialist at that time.

But I can certainly understand both perspectives on the taxation issue; there are good arguments for and against. What I think speaks more directly to ALL of us is the parties' platforms on embryonic stem cell research. From all that I've read, this is our best hope for a cure, so it is of the highest relevance to all of us.

Although McCain has personally come out as disagreeing with his party, the Republican platform specifically calls for a ban on all embryonic stem cell funding and research; the Democratic platform does not. A McCain victory would make it much less likely that embryonic stem cell research would continue.

A quick web search found this paragraph, which tells us that other forms of stem cell research are not as promising as embryonic stem cell research:

"...ES cells from embryos appear to be different in scientifically important ways from AS cells and also appear to offer greater promise of therapeutic breakthroughs. The claim that there are alternatives to using stem cells derived from embryos is not, at the present time, supported scientifically...”

- National Bioethics Advisory Commission, Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell Research (Sept. 1999), Volume I, p. 53

I wouldn't normally bring politics into this forum, but I think it's important that we all recognize there's a fundamental difference in the party platforms that directly affects our best hope for a cure.

--Bill

[paul55]

Bill, I guess I shouldn't have expressed my opinion about anything political here, whereas there is really no place for it in this forum. I'm kicking myself now for doing it. Stem cell research is another issue that could become very personal, so I won't touch it either. I guess I'll stick to the old spinal cord.

[billanschell]

It's hard not to be political right now. So no need to kick yourself; but if you can, you're in much better shape than I am. I don't even know where my legs are, and if I somehow managed to kick myself I wouldn't be able to feel it anyway...